5 WAYS TO STAY IN SHAPE ALL YEAR ROUND

November 25, 2015

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle that balances exercise and a quality diet yearround, especially during times of temperature extremes when you’d rather hide in a climate-controlled movie theatre, can be difficult. Here are a few ways you can stay in shape all year long(without going crazy or losing your motivation!).

1. Exercise At Home

If you’re finding that it's too cold during winter or too scorchingly hot in summer to get outside and exercise then get yourself a treadmill or exercise bikeand do it at home. Machines like theseare great because you can multitask while you’re using them– you can catch up on your favourite TV show, answer or organise your emails, or listen to an audiobook.Research fitness retailers such as Fitness Market to explore the range of treadmills and other at-home exercise devices that are available.

2. Don’t Stop Eating Healthy

Your body is like your phone;it’ll work just fine when you punch in the right information. This means a steady, unbroken flow of good, nutritious foods, including plenty of fruit and vegetables. It can be hard, especially around the holidays, to stick to your healthy diet but that’s why you’re so diligent the rest of the year – so you can indulge a little on those special occasions without feeling too guilty.

3. Keep Your Goals Short-Term

Having one gigantic goal at the end of the road is a great marker for where you want to go, but having only that one goal will make staying motivated difficult. Set yourself lots of smaller fitness goals along the way:I want to be able to wear this dress on New Year’sEve, I want to increase the weight I’m lifting by 20kg within the next month, and so on. Work your goals to events on the calendar if that helps you maintain focus.

4. Don’t Get Caught In A Rut

Variety is the spice of life and also of workouts. Getting into a routine is the worst thing you can do for yourself when trying to maintain a year-round regime. Surprise yourself by picking your next set at random. Throw in a burpee just to see if it gets you fired up. You should be looking forward to your workout rather than dreading it or finding reasons to put it off. Shake things up and try a few different classes – yoga, Pilates or boxing, for instance.

5. Buddy Up

If you can talk a friend into coming with you, do so, because workouts are a lot more fun when you have someone to not only suffer with you but who can also keep you honest. They’ll also be able to encourage you to head to the gym on the days you’re not feeling it and you can do the same for them. Working out with others makes it so much easier to stay committed to your regime.

These are just a few of the ways you can work to stay in shape all year round. What are your favourite methods for perpetual fitness? Share in the comments below!